Nov. 27, 2012

At UCLA, the recent run of fall sport teams competing for championships continues this week.

The Pac-12 South Division Champion football team hits the road to face Stanford with the Conference title and the Rose Bowl Game on the line. In addition, the men's water polo team will be vying for an NCAA championship at USC this weekend, and the women's volleyball team begins defense of its NCAA title with first and second round games in Pauley Pavilion over the weekend.

For a closer look at those contests, and the other events of the week, continue below:

Bruins Face Stanford for Second-Straight Week in Pac-12 Championship Game
The UCLA football team (9-3) returns to the field this Friday when it visits Stanford in the 2012 Pac-12 Football Championship Game. It will be the second meeting between the teams in six days, following the Cardinal's victory at the Rose Bowl last Saturday in the regular season finale.

The conference title game kicks off at 5 pm (PT) in Palo Alto, and tickets in the UCLA section are still available. Click here for ticket links and information on Fan Travel options.

Bruin fans unable to make it to Northern California in person can watch the game live on FOX or listen to it on AM 570, FOX Sports LA.

UCLA to Host Pre-game Tailgate at Gordon Biersch in Palo Alto
Are you looking for a place to tailgate with fellow Bruin fans before the Pac-12 title game? From 2-5 pm, the gathering place for all Bruin fans will be the original Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant in downtown Palo Alto. RSVPs and reservations are not necessary for this event.

Bowl Info A Comin' This Weekend
UCLA football fans, please be sure to check your email regularly this weekend because the athletic department will be sending out bowl ticket information as soon as it is available.

This has been an incredibly exciting year for the team, and having the Bruin Family join them at the bowl game in big numbers will be a fitting tribute to the team as they complete their season in style.

Be on the lookout for messages from us. In addition, be sure to check UCLABruins.com often to find out how you can be there as this exciting year comes to a crescendo in a great bowl.

Mora a Contender for Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award
First-year UCLA Head Football Coach Jim Mora is in contention for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award.

The award recognizes college football coaches who demonstrate Sportsmanship, Integrity, Responsibility and Excellence, both on and off the field. Endorsed by the College Football Hall of Fame, the program awards the winning coach from each NCAA division with $50,000 to donate to a charity of their choice, a $20,000 grant to each school's alumni association, and the Coach of the Year trophy.

The first round of fan voting (via Twitter) continues until Saturday, December 1, with the top 15 FBS vote getters eligible to become one of the 10 finalists. Bruins fans should vote here to help ensure that Mora is a finalist.

Once the 10 FBS finalists are determined, fans will once again be given the chance to vote, and their vote will be combined with the votes of the College Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee and the national media before the winner is announced prior to the BCS National Championship Game on January 7.

Men's Water Polo Aims for Ninth NCAA Title
UCLA takes aim at its first NCAA Championship of the 2012-13 academic year this weekend when the second-ranked men's water polo team plays in the four-team NCAA tournament, held Saturday and Sunday at USC.

The Bruins take on St. Francis in the semifinals on Saturday at 3:12 pm. Should the Bruins win, they will face the winner of USC/Air Force in the championship game on Sunday at 3:12 pm.

Tickets for the NCAA Championship are selling quickly. Click here to purchase.

Women's Volleyball Begins Title Defense
The defending NCAA champion women's volleyball team hosts LIU Brooklyn, San Diego and Michigan State in the NCAA first/second rounds in Pauley Pavilion this weekend.

The Bruins play LIU Brooklyn on Friday at 8 pm (PT), after the San Diego/Michigan State match is played at 5:30 pm. The winners of those two matches will meet on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 7 pm for the chance to move on to the Regional round in Berkeley.

Tickets for the first and second round matches this weekend will be available at the Pauley Pavilion box office or by calling the UCLA Central Ticket Office at 310-UCLA-WIN (310-825-2946).

Both Basketball Teams Face Local Foes This Week
The UCLA men's basketball team returns to action twice this week, first hosting Cal State Northridge on Wednesday in Pauley Pavilion at 9 pm and then facing San Diego State on Saturday in the John R. Wooden Classic at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Meanwhile, the 19th-ranked UCLA women's basketball team hosts Loyola Marymount on Sunday, Dec. 2 in Pauley Pavilion at 2 pm.

Tickets for all three games are still available. For more information or to purchase tickets, please click here or call 310-UCLA-WIN (825-2946).

Den Pass Sales at an All-Time High
Enthusiasm for the UCLA football and men's basketball teams this year has translated into record numbers for the athletic department's student Den Pass, which allows students access for every regular season home football and men's basketball game.

The department has sold more than 10,000 full-season passes for the first time. We would like to salute all of the students who purchased Den Passes this year, as well as those who have attended all UCLA athletic events this year in record numbers.

Den passes are sold out for the current school year but will go on sale in the Spring of 2013 for 2013-14, so interested students should be on the lookout for details in the coming months around campus or at UCLABruins.com.

Olympic Sports Report

• The women's soccer team concluded a terrific season with a hard-fought 2-1 loss at Stanford in the NCAA Quarterfinals. The Bruins finished the year 18-3-2 and set several school records during the year, both on the field with a 25-match unbeaten streak (bridging the 2011 and 2012 seasons) and in the classroom with 10 players earning Pac-12 All-Academic honors.
• Fifteen Bruin swimmers will finish up the 2012 portion of the season's schedule at the AT&T Winter National Championships in Austin, Texas. Competition runs from Thursday through Saturday. UCLA swimming and diving is currently ranked 12th in the nation.

As the fall sports season winds down, the fact that virtually all of our teams were, or are currently, in NCAA post-season play, solidifies the important contributions made by our senior student-athletes who have provided the leadership on each of their respective squads.

Watching Senior Day ceremonies, where these Bruins are honored at their last regular-season home game, bring bittersweet recollections. As they are introduced to the home crowd, most with families beside them, I reflect back four, or in some cases, five years ago to their freshman orientation for Athletics. I remember saying, as I typically do, that among them will be future All-Americans, Academic All-Americans, professional athletes, and national champions. UCLA will be the place where they find their voice, and where often times, they will exceed their every expectation. Just as importantly, when they graduate from college, they will forever carry with them the brand of UCLA, a life-long affiliation with the greatest university in the world.

The senior class of 2012-13 validates all that I shared with them several years ago. Many have achieved, or will achieve, those aforementioned accolades, and several of them will make their sport a professional career, though even more will realize huge success in other endeavors.

What is most evident to me, however, is that the UCLA experience has helped to foster their maturation, which will lead to long and lasting productive lives. Our goal is to not only challenge our student-athletes to be their best that they can be while at UCLA, but to prepare them for that which they will face, both the triumphs and the adversity that come during life.

To our senior student-athletes, especially those playing their final collegiate games in the coming weeks, I salute you and thank you. You have and continue to make us proud.

Go Bruins!

Dan Guerrero
UCLA Athletic Director

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